US deploys B-52 bombers, ballistic missile destroyers in warning to Iran

The United States announced Friday the deployment of additional military assets to the Middle East, including ballistic missile defence destroyers and long-range B-52 bomber aircraft, serving as a warning to Iran as it and Israel trade tit-for-tat strikes.

"Should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every measure necessary to defend our people," Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said in a statement.

The additional resources build on previous US defence deployments to the Middle East in support of Israel, including a THAAD missile defence system deployed to the country late last month, operated by American troops on the ground.

The new forces "will begin to arrive in coming months," Ryder said.

Israel launched significant strikes against Iran on October 26, devastating military infrastructure to the Islamic republic while steering clear of critical nuclear and oil sites.

Iran has carried out two major attacks against Israel in 2024 -- one in April after a strike on its consulate in Damascus that was blamed on Israel, and another in October that Tehran said was in response to the assassination of leaders of armed groups it backs in the Middle East.

Observers warn the continued military operations between the regional rivals could escalate further.

Lebanon accuses Israel of rejecting truce

Lebanon's prime minister accused Israel on Friday of rejecting a ceasefire after the Israeli military bombed Hezbollah's south Beirut stronghold for the first time this week.

In Gaza, where Israel has been engaged in a major offensive in the north for nearly a month, a Hamas official said the Palestinian militant group had rejected a proposal for a short-term truce.

United Nations chiefs called the situation in northern Gaza "apocalyptic" and warned the entire population there was at risk of death.

Israel has been fighting a two-front war since late September, against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas, which triggered the Gaza war by attacking Israel on October 7 last year.

At least 10 strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs before dawn after Israel issued evacuation warnings.

"The raids left massive destruction in the targeted areas, as dozens of buildings were levelled," Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Lebanon's health ministry later said 52 people were killed and 72 wounded in Israeli strikes on Friday in the country's eastern Baalbek-Hermel region, attacks for which the Israeli army had not issued evacuation warnings.

The NNA also reported strikes on Bint Jbeil, Tyre and Nabatieh in the south.

The Israeli military said it was continuing operations against both Hezbollah and Hamas.

- Beirut suburbs hit -

The strikes on Lebanon came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US officials to discuss a possible deal to end the war against Hezbollah, ahead of Tuesday's US presidential election.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the Israeli attacks.

He said the renewed bombing of Beirut's southern suburbs and strikes on other areas "confirm the Israeli enemy's rejection of all efforts being made to secure a ceasefire."

In Baalbek, smoke rose from the remains of a house in the city's Douris neighbourhood after Israeli warplanes carried out strikes there on Thursday and Friday.

"The place that was bombed is a residential area. Our neighbour is a woman with a disability. She was injured while at home," said Jaafar Durra, pointing to a flattened building.

Baalbek boasts Roman temples that UNESCO has designated as World Heritage site and the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, warned the war has put the country's cultural heritage site in "deep peril".

- Thais killed -

On Thursday, Netanyahu told US envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk that any ceasefire deal with Hezbollah must guarantee Israel's long-term security. Both have since left for Washington, a source familiar with the matter said.

A US-brokered plan reportedly under consideration would see Hezbollah pull back 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border, north of the Litani River, with Israeli forces withdrawing and the Lebanese army patrolling the border alongside UN peacekeepers.

Thailand's foreign minister said four farm workers killed by rocket fire on northern Israel on Thursday were Thais. They were among a total of seven people who were killed by two separate barrages, a local official and medics said.

Since fighting in Lebanon escalated on September 23, after nearly a year of tit-for-tat exchanges which Hezbollah said were in support of Hamas, Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,911 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally of health ministry figures.

Israel's military says 37 soldiers have been killed in Lebanon since it began ground operations on September 30.

The World Health Organization expressed deep concern about Israeli attacks on health care workers and facilities in Lebanon, stressing they are "not a target".

The war has drawn in Iran-backed groups around the Middle East and has seen Israel and Iran attack each other.

Late Friday, the Israeli military said it had intercepted seven drones launched the previous night from "several fronts", without specifying where they came from.

On October 26, Israel bombed military targets in Iran, killing four servicemen, in retaliation for the Islamic republic's barrage of around 200 missiles against Israel on October 1.

Analysts say Israel inflicted severe damage on Iranian air defences and missile capacities and could yet launch more wide-scale action against Iran.

- 'Under siege' -

In north Gaza, the Israeli military said it "eliminated" dozens of militants in Jabalia.

AFPTV images from the adjacent district of Beit Lahia showed men using blankets to carry apparently dead bodies through streets piled with garbage after an Israeli strike.

Gaza's health ministry earlier reported at least nine dead in strikes on Jabalia and the central Gaza area of Nuseirat.

"The situation unfolding in north Gaza is apocalyptic," said a joint statement by the heads of UN agencies.

"The area has been under siege for almost a month, denied basic aid and life-saving supplies while bombardment and other attacks continue."

Separately, the WHO said a second round of child polio vaccinations would begin in north Gaza on Saturday, after Israeli bombing halted the drive.

US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators have tried for months to broker a truce and hostages for prisoners exchange for Gaza.

A member of Hamas's political bureau told AFP that the group has received a proposal from Egypt and Qatar for a short-term truce and rejected it for not including a lasting ceasefire.

The US State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about de-escalation measures for Gaza and Lebanon with Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.

They discussed steps for ending the war and bringing home Israeli hostages held in Gaza, as well as "the dire status of humanitarian conditions" in the territory, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

They also discussed efforts for "a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon that allows both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to return safely to their homes," he added.

Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed 43,259 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable.